Ray Takeyh weighs the prospects for change in Iran under the newly elected President Hassan Rowhani.

Conceived as principal defenders of the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has evolved into a vast institution of political, economic, and military power.

With Ayatollah Khamenei set to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a "fawning admirer" of his choosing, Ahmadinejad may be missed for his ability to challenge the Islamic Republic's ruling religious hierarchy.

Gayle Lemmon discusses the multiple options which members of the Obama administration are weighing regarding U.S. intervention in the ongoing Syrian conflict.

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: Presidential elections are held in Iran; the G8 convenes in Northern Ireland; and President Obama goes to Berlin.

Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes stated on June 13, 2013, that "our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons."

Israel has discovered substantial natural gas deposits off its shores in the last four years. While these gas finds are not significant in terms of global gas supply (they constitute less than two percent of the world's proven gas reserves), they do appear large enough not only to meet Israel's needs, but to enable Israel to export significant quantities.

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A conservative candidate seems likely to win Iran's presidential election this week, but the reform movement may yet be energized by the remaining moderate contender, says CFR's Ray Takeyh.

Douglas A. Ollivant of Mantid International, Robert Satloff of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Mona Yacoubian of Stimson Center discuss the potential regional fallout of the Syrian civil war.

Are Iran's presidential elections too tightly controlled, or will they offer an opportunity for reformist voices to emerge? This Issue Guide traces the campaign and essential background.

Never solely a military organization in the traditional sense, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—also known as the Pasdaran (Persian for "guards")—has seen a significant expansion and diversification of its domestic roles since the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005.

Ray Takeyh debunks the myth that the CIA was responsible for Mossadeq's demise and the 1953 Iranian coup.

Syria has been mired in deadly strife since March 2011 and the outlook for resolving what is now a full blown civil war looks increasingly dire. The worst case outcome for Syria is one whereby the country fragments and becomes a failed state in which the Damascus government no longer controls its own territory. Under such a scenario, the glue holding the country together comes unstuck.

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The United States and a growing number of countries have intensified sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, weakening its economy, but debate persists over their impact.

Ray Takeyh asks, "after nearly a decade of delusory diplomacy, it may be time to ask: What if Iran's supreme leader actually means what he says?"

According to Micah Zenko, "We are deluding ourselves if we believe that we need more time to "think through" U.S. military intervention options for Syria. We have an excellent understanding of what those options are, and a vast majority of officials, policymakers, and the American people do not believe they are worth the effort."

The United States has long struggled with how to manage Iran's nuclear ambitions. Any U.S. military option in Iran is likely to be dynamic, depending on its objectives.

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Gayle Lemmon examines the current course of U.S. action in Syria.

Laurie Garrett warns that the MERS virus outbreak must be taken seriously.

The conventional wisdom has it that second-term presidents, freed from the need to win another election, tend to be bolder in their initiatives. While that logic may apply to President Obama's domestic policy, it is unlikely to extend abroad.

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